We forget that they are kids
Watching Blake O'Neill yesterday remined me of a Rose Bowl Game in the late 1980's. I think it was Arizona State. I was lucky enough to attend and wound up sitting behind Bo's wife. She was accompanied by a number of graduate assistants. It was near the end of the game and it was slipping away. In the heat of watching the frustrating ending of that game, Mrs. Schembechler remarked that one of the most difficult things for Bo was that at the end of the day, no matter what, he had to place his fate into the hands of 18,19 and 20 year old kids. It struck me that although Bo appeard demanding and rigid, hewas really one of the most patient guys on the planet. I realized that the great coaches are teachers first and must be willing to suffer the mistakes of their charges in order to allow them to grow and improve. They forgive these mistakes, but they also remember them.
I am certain that Harbaugh is a great coach. I am also certain that he is a great teacher. He did not go crazy at the end of yesterday's game, although the apparent magnitude of the error seemed unprecedented. He likely knows that a simple run play and turning the game over to his defense for one play might have worked better. He will be harder on himself than on O'Neill. He will forgive O'Neill (and hinmself) but he will remember. Be certain, this will never happen again to either O'Neill or Harbaugh.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^
Blake O'Neill is 22, he's not a kid.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:50 PM ^
and, in the case he cites, to Bo and Millie Schembechler, the 18-22 year olds that play football ARE kids or, at least, amateurs and not professionals on a very big stage the likes of which you have, more than likely, never have even approached.
October 18th, 2015 at 4:10 PM ^
What does the fact that I've never been a college football player have to do with anything?
That's like saying you're not allowed to criticize a movie because you've never been an actor.
October 18th, 2015 at 9:31 PM ^
or...if I can move this analogy to the theater. I wouldn't expect for a college drama department to have the same quality of production as a Broadway show or the Steppenwolf Theatre here in Chicago.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:04 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:55 AM ^
Please point out where you saw me suggest I "demand excellence."
October 18th, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
here.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:13 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 4:21 PM ^
Are you really suggesting it's wrong to criticize college athletes? I guess you were singing that MSU lineman's praises after he tried to rip Denard's head off.
And please, show me where you think I criticized anyone. Apparently, in your mind, stating someone's age is criticizing them.
October 18th, 2015 at 10:50 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:53 AM ^
No, obviously not. Use your brain. Why would I think that trying to injure someone and making a mistake are the same? I'm saying it's ridiculous to suggest that nobody can ever criticize a college athlete.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:04 PM ^
with Bo's wife that they ARE kids, I refuse to lose my crap over a mistake one of them made. Especially after he has made so many plays that were very good, outstanding even.
October 18th, 2015 at 4:19 PM ^
Please point out to me where you think you saw me lose my crap over a mistake he made. (Assuming your comment was in direct reference to what I said.)
October 18th, 2015 at 9:59 PM ^
Well, considering your user name is referencing two television characters from the late 80's/early 90's, one of whom was a stuffed alien puppet and the other was perhaps the most annoying character on television, might want to check your glass house for cracked windows before you start throwing rocks at what is considered "mature" for other people.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:03 AM ^
Apparently, in your mind, one's internet username on a college football sports forum is a direct reflection of their maturity. That makes perfect sense.
Please help me out then... what's the correct username I should have chosen in order to properly convey my maturity? Any help here would be much appreciated.
October 18th, 2015 at 10:27 PM ^
He is an unpaid amateur though.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:06 PM ^
But for me, the reason I give them a pass isn't because they are kids, it's because they are doing it while not being payed. I think that deep down, that is the case with a lot of people because 19 year olds in the NBA have gotten destroyed for playing badly even though they are just 19. That paycheck makes a big difference.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
These are young people whose main purpose should be to get an education from a great university.
Football is an amazing diversion for people like myself and I imagine for much of the blogosphere but it has to stop there. It's entertainment away from real life.
People need to not take it further than that.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:44 PM ^
Well said, student athletes who've worked much harder at a sport than we'll ever fathom. Their efforts are only paid in scholarships and, for a small minority, a career in the NFL.These kids have been through so much and I'm glad to join all the fans here in supporting them through the highs and lows.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:05 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
I seen the presser last night and my heart broke for him. I could see the pain in his face and how he felt for all of the guys that just played in the game.
How do you even put it into words?
It was probably one of the worst losses I have ever seen in a Michigan game. In a word "Bazarr".
It has never happened before and it will never happen again. These guys will be ready and back playing with a couple of well deserved weeks off. It will be a tough two weeks, because unforunately the best cure for a Michigan Loss is a Michigan "WIN".
Go Blue!!
October 18th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
Should be moved to the board.
October 18th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^
The pussification of America is still going strong. Sometimes negative reinforcement (from Coaches, not death threats) can absolutely be a good thing.
October 18th, 2015 at 4:42 PM ^
If you don't think Jim Harbaugh is tough enough on these young men, that's your own problem.
October 18th, 2015 at 9:04 PM ^
Maybe lining up then to go for it, or just having Peppers or Chesson running around in the backfield like some sort of playground keep-away, would have defeated MSU's punt block strategy? Just as much can go wrong with that half-baked idea. Unfortunately it was only a 2 point lead, otherwise taking a safety would've done the trick. All this game theory has to be worked through in situ, and then on top of that, crazy shit happens like a low snap, and then the punter gets stampeded. Sure it was field-able in a normal punt situation, but the line was overloaded on the rush, which exacerbated everything. Can't blame O'Neill entirely for that one play, much less the loss of the game. Indeed, he was a key reason M was in position to win the game in the first place. As Harbaugh said to Angelique, "Welcome to football."
Just consider for a moment if this had happened on the first punt (the one that O'Neill fielded cleanly from the M 4 and sailed to the MSU 2) instead of the last one. It probably would have had the same result and impact on the game (at least from a fundamental math standpoint), but I don't think in that scenario people would be excoriating ONeill any more than they might whoever it was that blew the coverage on the MSU FB that trundled 75 yards for 1&G on a wheel route or something?
The bottom line is that everyone can second guess what transpired until kingdom come, but it will never change the end result. All errors and mistakes in the game across the board will be looked at critically for lessons learned, and as areas for focused effort and improvement going forward. Doghouses may be awarded if appropriate, but M needs its best players' best efforts to win out and beat OSU. Can't let Sparty beat M twice in one year.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:53 PM ^
As an athelte I can empathize with Blake. My senior year in highschool I was playing in the regional semifinal for MHSAA State championship soccer game. The game went into PKs and I missed the 5th PK for the loss. I practiced Pks my entire life and I just blew. I felt horrible because I let down my team, my coach, and my friends. I still remember that moment, and I still remember that feeling. I grew up that day. I learned what it feels like to shoulder everyones pain, and eventually how to let it go.
Kids make mistakes, adults make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes. I wanted to beat state as bad as anyone else in that stadium on Saturday. And losing a game like that is one of the most painful things I hate witnessed. But maybe just maybe on Sunday Blake woke up a Michigan Man and let it all go. And through all of this one more student athlete we can be proud of for both his strength as an athlete and his strength in his character.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:53 PM ^
As an athelte I can empathize with Blake. My senior year in highschool I was playing in the regional semifinal for MHSAA State championship soccer game. The game went into PKs and I missed the 5th PK for the loss. I practiced Pks my entire life and I just blew. I felt horrible because I let down my team, my coach, and my friends. I still remember that moment, and I still remember that feeling. I grew up that day. I learned what it feels like to shoulder everyones pain, and eventually how to let it go.
Kids make mistakes, adults make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes. I wanted to beat state as bad as anyone else in that stadium on Saturday. And losing a game like that is one of the most painful things I hate witnessed. But maybe just maybe on Sunday Blake woke up a Michigan Man and let it all go. And through all of this one more student athlete we can be proud of for both his strength as an athlete and his strength in his character.
October 18th, 2015 at 9:28 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 9:34 PM ^
You can legally vote at 18, but your brain isn't fully developed until about 25 or so.
October 19th, 2015 at 7:19 AM ^
Leaving aside the interesting discussion of what a "kid" is (and I mean that sincerely, the emerging science on about the brains of late teens and early 20s is quite interesting), let's just talk the cold, hard, football facts on Blake O'Neill. He is one of the best punters Michigan has ever had, period, full stop. Look at his work over the season. Look at his work the first 59 minutes and 50 seconds of the game. Consistently downing the ball inside the 10 instead of touchbacks, that 80,000 yard howitzer shot out in the first quarter. Even taking that one terrible play into account, the special teams are worlds better than the last few seasons, and he is one of the most important reasons why. I'll take him on my team every dang day of the week.
October 19th, 2015 at 8:24 AM ^
Hear, hear. This is not a discussion of whether Blake O'Neill is a "kid". This is also not a diary item but another whiny post.
October 19th, 2015 at 9:47 AM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^
The problem with both sides argument, is that it's simply not a binary of "kid" or "adult".
The fact of the matter is, there's clearly something "in between" as we discover more about human psychology and development (and surprise, surprise, great coaches, great parents, great teachers, etc. have ALWAYS known this). It goes back to this super old saying, that's really complex and difficult to understand, it goes something like, "Everybody is different".
Is he a kid? Obviously he's not. Is he an adult, obviously not as well. The real dilemma comes from not proving is this true or not (it is), but from erasing from your minds, the binary: kid vs. adult. It's a spectrum. Always has been. Always will be. I know some 40 year olds that are stil "kids" (in good ways and in bad!)
Nothings simple.
October 19th, 2015 at 8:09 PM ^
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